Reimagining Islamic Education Financing
A Cash Waqf Model for Ghana
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70009/jels.2026.3.1.4Keywords:
Islamic education, cash waqf, sustainable funding, Ghana, community-based development, resource dependencyAbstract
To address institutional sustainability challenges in Ghana's Islamic education sector, this study investigates the challenges confronting the Ghana Islamic Education Unit (GIEU) and assesses the potential of cash waqf to address them. Grounded in an integration of community-based development and resource dependency theories, it offers a prescriptive framework for institutional resilience. This qualitative case study employed semi-structured interviews with eight key stakeholders drawn from three regional offices of the GIEU. The findings from the thematic analysis of the interview data reveal a system of interrelated constraints comprising chronic underfunding, inadequate infrastructure and logistics, a shortage of Muslim and Arabic language teachers, and pervasive community apathy. Weak community participation and structural dependence on unreliable government and community support were found to be mutually reinforcing. Participants viewed cash waqf as a viable means of addressing these challenges. Building on this, the study proposes the first theoretically grounded Cash Waqf Fund Model for the sector. The model’s novelty lies in integrating the two to design a professionally governed, community-anchored endowment that preserves its corpus. The study provides an actionable blueprint for establishing and governing waqf-based educational funds and a roadmap for policymakers and administrators to build transparent funding ecosystems and professionalise waqf administration, particularly in Muslim-minority contexts.
References
AAOIFI. (2017). Sharia’a Standards. Dar Almaiman.
Ab. Aziz, M. R., Johari, F., & Yusof, M. A. (2013). Cash waqf models for financing in education. Paper Proceeding of the 5th Islamic Economics System Conference (IECONS 2013), Sustainable Development Through The Islamic Economics System, 835–842. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257811881
Abd Jalil, M. I., Hamzah, A. A., William, J. J., Shaikh, I. M., & Ahsan, M. H. (2023). Exploring Motivational Factors for Muslims’ Cash Waqf Participation. The Journal of Muamalat and Islamic Finance Research, 20(2), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.33102/jmifr.506
Abdel Mohsin, M. I. (2013). Financing through cash-waqf: A revitalization to finance different needs. International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management, 6(4), 304–321. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMEFM-08-2013-0094
Abdu, M., Lamido, A. A., & Jibir, A. (2023). Assessing the awareness and perception of waqf among business owners in Gombe State, Nigeria . Islamic Economic Studies, 31(1/2), 130–151. https://doi.org/10.1108/ies-02-2023-0006
Adam, M., Akkas, E., & Legass, A. H. (2025). The Role of Islamic Finance on Sustainable Development in Ghana. TYB Akademi Dil Edebiyat Ve Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 43, 86–109. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/tybakademi/issue/90204/1595689
Ahmad, M. (2015). Cash waqf: Historical evolution, nature and role as an alternative to riba-based financing for the grass root. Journal of Islamic Finance, 4(1), 63–74. https://doi.org/10.31436/jif.v4i1.70
Al-Balkhi, N. al-D. al-B. (1310). Al-Fatāwā al-Hindiyyah [The Indian legal opinions] (2nd ed., Vol. 2). Dar al-Fikr.
Al-Marghīnānī, ʿA. b. A. B. (2004). Al-Hidāyah fī Sharḥ Bidāyat al-Mubtadī (T. Yūsuf, Ed.; 1st ed., Vol. 3). Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī.
al-Nawawī, Y. S. (1991). Rawḍat al-Ṭālibīn (Z. al-Shāwīsh, Ed.; 3rd ed., Vol. 5). Al-Maktab al-Islāmī.
Al-Ṣāwī, A. bn M. (n.d.). Ḥāshiyat al-Ṣāwī . Dār al-Maʿrifah.
Aluwihare-Samaranayake, D. (2012). Ethics in Qualitative Research: A View of the Participants’ and Researchers’ World from a Critical Standpoint. International Journal of Qualitative Methods 2012, 11(2), 64–81. https://doi.org/10.1177/160940691201100208
Anaman, P. D., Zottor, D. M., & Julius, K. E. (2022). Infrastructural challenges and student academic performance: evidence from a developing nation. International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology, 7(11), 1189–1200. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7439990
Andrews, R., & Hodgkinson, I. R. (2024). Resource dependence and the survival of government-created social enterprises. Public Management Review, 26(5), 1178–1200. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2022.2137228
Ardo, A. M., Muhammad, A. A., Adam, M. B., Aliyu, S. A., & Muhammad, Z. J. (2024). The Legal Framework of Waqf and Its Role in Modern Economic Development in Nigeria. Ahlika: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga Dan Hukum Islam, 1(2), 162–178. https://doi.org/10.70742/ahlika.v1i2.109
Aryeh-Adjei, A. A. (2021). Community participation in the management of Ghanaian schools. Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education, 10(SI), 79–95. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1297942
Asare-Danso, S. (2017). Effects of governments’ educational policies on Islamic Education in Ghana: a historical study. The International Journal of Humanities & Social Studies, 5(9). www.theijhss.com
Athahillah, A., & Suhendri, S. (2019). Education waqf: An alternative financing of Islamic education today. International Conference on Islamic Educational Management (ICIEM), 1(1), 107–115. https://jurnal.uinsu.ac.id/index.php/iciem/article/view/7353/3276
Azrak, T. (2022). The roles of cash waqf in improving the economic welfare: Case study of Turkey. The Journal of Management Theory and Practice (JMTP), 3(1), 42–47. https://doi.org/10.37231/jmtp.2022.3.1.200
Baafi, R. K. A. (2020). School physical environment and student academic performance. Advances in Physical Education, 10(02), 121–137. https://doi.org/10.4236/ape.2020.102012
Bhatti, A., Ashraf, J., & Akhtar, M. F. (2014). Understanding endowment funds. Asian Journal of Management Cases, 11(2), 89–101. https://doi.org/10.1177/0972820114538346
Boadu, E. S., & Ile, I. (2025). Community-based development and indigenous evaluation in Africa: insights from Ghana. Journal of Contemporary African Studies, 43(1), 87–109. https://doi.org/10.1080/02589001.2024.2414023
Boateng, S. S. (2019). Teachers’ attrition at pre-tertiary level in Ghana: A qualitative investigation into its causes and suggestions. Journal of Education and Practice, 10(14), 139–149. https://doi.org/10.7176/JEP
Bowen, G. A. (2006). Grounded Theory and Sensitizing Concepts. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 3(5), 12–23. https://doi.org/10.1177/160940690600500304
Boyle, H. N., Seebaway, S. Z., Lansah, I., & Boukamhi, A. (2007). Islamic education sector study: Ghana. https://secure.edc.org/publications/prodview.asp?1863
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2022). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. In Qualitative Research in Psychology (Number 2). Sage.
Budiman, M. A. (2014). The significance of waqf for economic development. Jurnal Equilibrium, 2(1), 19–34. https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/81144/
Çizakça, M. (1998). Awqaf in History and Its Implications for Modern Islamic Economies. Islamic Economic Studies, 6(1), 43–70. https://ssrn.com/abstract=3164811
Damwah, A. K. (2025). Exploring the Effect of School-Community Relationship on Students’ Academic Performance. British Journal of Contemporary Education, 5(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.52589/bjce-3tgv4xzv
Dogarawa, A. B. (2009). Poverty Alleviation through Zakah and Waqf Institutions: A Case for the Muslim Ummah in Ghana. 1–27. https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/23191/
Dybvig, P. H., & Qin, Z. (2021). How to squander your endowment: Pitfalls and remedies. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3939984
Fatawu, I. (2020). Mission-state relations in education: a historical study of Islamic education in northern Ghana [University of Cape Coast]. https://ir.ucc.edu.gh/xmlui
Furstenberger, P. G., Hidayat, S. E., & HWA, A. G. P. (2017). The role of waqf in financing education: A case study of the waqf fund of Central Bank of Bahrain. Journal of Islamic Financial Studies, 3(2), 92–97. https://doi.org/10.12785/jifs/030203
Ghana Education Service [GES]. (n.d.). About us: Challenges, prospects and achievements. Retrieved August 10, 2023, from https://ges.gov.gh/about-us/
Gustina, G., & Ihsan, H. (2020). Managing university through waqf assets: Evidence from Indonesia. In R. Hidayat, Y. Sonatha, A. S. Ahmar, J. Simarmata, & D. Abdullah (Eds.), Proceedings of the 2nd Workshop on Multidisciplinary and Applications (WMA) 2018. European Alliance Innovation. https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.24-1-2018.2292396
Handayani, L., Widiastuti, T., Sukmana, R., & Mohsin, M. I. A. (2025). Efficiency or Trust? Reforming Waqf in Indonesia Through a Tale of Two Waqf Models (Singapore and South Africa). Al-Awqaf: Jurnal Wakaf Dan Ekonomi Islam, 18(2), 34–54. https://www.jurnal.bwi.go.id/index.php/awqaf/article/view/520
Haroon, M. (2016). The state of Muslim education in Ghana: Achievements, challenges and the way forward. National Strategic Conference on Muslim Education in Ghana 2016, 27–50. https://barakapolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/FINAL-REPORT-OF-BPI-EDUCATIONAL-CONFERENCE.pdf
Hassanain, M. A., Daghistani, O. H., & Sanni-Anibire, M. O. (2022). Development of design quality indicators for public school facilities. Facilities, 40(9–10), 594–616. https://doi.org/10.1108/F-09-2021-0084
Hossain, M. S., & Nepa, F. H. (2022). Cash Waqf development through private banks in Bangladesh: Challenges and prospects toward building sustainable society. International Journal of Civil Law and Legal Research, 2(1), 01–10. https://doi.org/10.22271/civillaw.2022.v2.i1a.14
Ibn Qudāmah, A. I. A. (1984). Al-Mughnī (1st ed., Vol. 6). Dār al-Fikr.
Ibn Taymiyyah, A. bn A. H. (1995). Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā ( b. M. b. Q. Abdul Raḥmān, Ed.; Vol. 31). King Fahd Complex.
Ibrahim, A. S. (2018). Teaching Arabic in Ghana: Challenges and solutions. Al-Ma‘rifah, 15(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.21009/almakrifah.15.01.01
Ibrahim, A.-J., & Billah, M. M. (2020). Poverty alleviation through Islamic social finance in agro-sectors: an experience of northern Ghana. In Awqaf-led Islamic Social Finance (pp. 137–154). Routledge.
International Islamic Fiqh Academy. (2004). Resolution No. 140 (6/15) Investment of Waqf, its Yields, and Incomes. https://iifa-aifi.org/en/32887.html
Inusah, F., Missah, Y. M., Najim, U., & Twum, F. (2023). Agile neural expert system for managing basic education. Intelligent Systems with Applications, 17, 200178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iswa.2023.200178
Kumi, E. (2022). Domestic resource mobilisation strategies of national non-governmental organisations in Ghana. Public Administration and Development, 42(2), 109–127. https://doi.org/10.1002/pad.1973
Lu, J., Shon, J., & Zhang, P. (2020). Understanding the dissolution of nonprofit organizations: A financial management perspective. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 49(1), 29–52. https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764019872006
Mansuri, G., & Rao, V. (2004). Community-Based and -Driven Development: A Critical Review. The World Bank Research Observer, 19(1), 1–39. https://doi.org/10.1093/wbro/lkh012
Mckim, C., & Mckim, C. (2023). Meaningful Member-Checking: A Structured Approach to Member-Checking. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 2023(2), 41–52. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/12973
Mensah, R. O., Acquah, A., Frimpong, Dr. A., & Babah, P. A. (2020). Towards improving the quality of basic education in Ghana. Teacher licensure and matters arising: Challenges and the way forward. Journal of Education & Social Policy, 7(3), 117–127. https://doi.org/10.30845/jesp.v7n3p11
Millán, Á., Retamosa, M., & Carranza, R. (2024). What about NPOs? Identifying factors in the intention to donate: The role of brand identification and past behavior. Voluntas, 35(2), 253–265. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-023-00586-8
Mohammed, I., Abdulai, R., & Seidu, A. A. (2022). Constraints and restrictions to community participation in school developments at primary schools in the Sagnarigu Municipal, Ghana. Journal of Education Review, 14(2), 41–51. https://www.ajol.info/index.php/jer/article/view/281783
Morozova, L. S., Morozov, V. Y., Khavanova, N. V., Bokareva, E. V., & Litvinova, E. V. (2016). Starting a financial endowment by a nonprofit organization in higher education. Indian Journal of Science and Technology, 9(42), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.17485/ijst/2016/v9i42/104271
Mujani, W. K., Taib, M. S. M., Izwan, R. M. K., & Khalid, K. A. T. (2018). The history of the development of higher education waqf in Malaysia. International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET), 9(3), 549–557. http://www.iaeme.com/IJCIET/issues.asp?JType=IJCIET&VType=9&IType=3
Murray, L., & Nash, M. (2017). The Challenges of Participant Photography: A Critical Reflection on Methodology and Ethics in Two Cultural Contexts. Qualitative Health Research, 27(6), 923–937. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732316668819
Musa, Y. M. (2023). Assessment of the Impact of Community Participation in the Management of Primary Schools in Potiskum Education Zone, Yobe State Nigeria. International Journal of Innovative Social Sciences & Humanities Research, 11(3), 191–197. www.seahipaj.org
Musah, M. K., Hasan, A., & Zakariyah, H. (2024). Cash Waqf in Islamic Jurisprudence and its Applicability to Support Health Care in the Muslim Community in Ghana. International Journal of Fiqh and Usul Al-Fiqh Studies, 8(2), 125–141. https://doi.org/10.31436/ijfus.v8i2.350
Musah, M. K., Zakari, M. A., Hasana, A., & Abdul Aziz, D. (2023). Beyond management challenges: A demise of a cash waqf foundation. Journal of Islamic Social Finance, 1(2), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.31436/jislamicsocfin.v1i2.12
Nyarkoh, E., & Intsiful, E. (2018). An assessment of the impact of international aid on basic education in Ghana. American Journal of Educational Research, 6(1), 43–49. https://doi.org/10.12691/education-6-1-7
Owusu, K. A. (2017). The Development of Islamic Education in Ghana: Perspectives of Reformers on the Transformation of Integrated Public Islamic Schools. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1493120256728132
Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research and evaluation methods: Integrating theory and practice (4th ed.). Sage Publications, Inc.
Pfeffer, J., & Salancik, G. (1987). External Control of Organizations: Resource Dependence Perspective. Harper and Row.
Pradhan, M., Suryadarma, D., Beatty, A., Wong, M., Gaduh, A., Alisjahbana, A., & Artha, R. P. (2014). Improving educational quality through enhancing community participation: Results from a randomized field experiment in Indonesia. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 6(2), 105–126. https://doi.org/10.1257/app.6.2.105
Razak, S. H. A. (2020). Zakat and waqf as instrument of Islamic wealth in poverty alleviation and redistribution: Case of Malaysia. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 40(3–4), 249–266. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-11-2018-0208
Roy, S., Huq, S., & Rob, A. B. A. (2020). Faith and education in Bangladesh: A review of the contemporary landscape and challenges. International Journal of Educational Development, 79, 102290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2020.102290
Rusydiana, A. S. (2018). An analysis of cash waqf development in Indonesia using Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM). Journal of Islamic Economics Lariba, 4(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.20885/jielariba.vol4.iss1.art1
Saiti, B., Dembele, A., & Bulut, M. (2021). The global cash waqf: A tool against poverty in Muslim countries. Qualitative Research in Financial Markets, 13(3), 277–294. https://doi.org/10.1108/QRFM-05-2020-0085
Saunders, M. N. K., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2023). Research Methods for Business Students (9th ed.). Pearson.
Searing, E. A. M., & Lecy, J. D. (2022). Growing up nonprofit: Predictors of early-stage nonprofit formalization. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 51(3), 680–698. https://doi.org/10.1177/08997640211014280
Taquette, S. R., & Borges da Matta Souza, L. M. (2022). Ethical Dilemmas in Qualitative Research: A Critical Literature Review. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 21, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069221078731
Tongco, Ma. D. C. (2007). Purposive sampling as a tool for informant selection. Research Methods and Methodology Reviews, 5, 147–158. https://ethnobotanyjournal.org/index.php/era/article/view/126
Usman, M., & Rahman, A. A. (2021). Financing higher education through Waqf in Pakistan: Issues and challenges. Jurnal Pengurusan, 62, 159–172. https://doi.org/10.17576/pengurusan-2021-62-13
Weiss, H. (2022). Moving Mountains: Muslim NGOs in Ghana. University Printing Press.
Weiss, H. (2024). Introducing Islamic Social Finance in Ghana: Prospects and Challenges. In Muslim Empowerment in Ghana (pp. 431–468). BRILL. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004699267_007
Yin, R. K. (2016). Qualitative research from start to finish. In Qualitative research from start to finish, 2nd ed. (2nd ed.). The Guilford Press.
Yusoff, H., Darus, F., Kamaruddin, M. I. H., & Muhamed, N. A. (2021). Corporate waqf: Discovering the primary challenges. The Journal of Muamalat and Islamic Finance Research, 18(2), 96–110. https://doi.org/10.33102/jmifr.v18i2.373
Zafar, M. B., & Jafar, A. (2026). Waqf over a century: innovation and tradition in shaping social equity and sustainable development. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 36(3/4), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-12-2024-0625
Zickafoose, A., Ilesanmi, O., Diaz-Manrique, M., Adeyemi, A. E., Walumbe, B., Strong, R., Wingenbach, G., Rodriguez, M. T., & Dooley, K. (2024). Barriers and challenges affecting quality education (Sustainable Development Goal #4) in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2030. Sustainability, 16(7), 2657. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16072657
Downloads
Published
Data Availability Statement
Data is available upon request.
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Mohammed Kabiru Musah, Zakari Muntaka Alhaji (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
